The Century Foundation (TCF), a leading progressive think tank, today announced the hiring of seasoned coalition builder and political strategist Gerardo Bonilla Chavez as the organization’s new Director of Government Affairs. Gerardo has dedicated his career to advancing progressive priorities at the highest levels of government, from serving in the Obama administration to advising Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. He will leverage his skills, deep expertise, and extensive public service experience to advance TCF’s policy priorities in the areas of the economy and labor, health care, and education.
Prior to TCF, Gerardo served as Chief of Staff to U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, where he led dynamic teams and strategic initiatives at the intersection of economic justice and democratic governance. He has held senior roles in Congress and federal agencies, helping to shape major legislative efforts to rein in corporate power, expand worker protections, build economic security for working families, and strengthen democratic institutions. Grounded in a values-driven approach to public service, Gerardo forges cross-movement alliances, crafts policy rooted in lived experience, and delivers tangible results for communities too often left behind.
“With the current administration hellbent on turning back the clock on decades of progress, we need leaders like Gerardo to help us communicate the power of progressive policies to leaders at every level of government,” said Century Foundation President Julie Margetta Morgan. “The Century Foundation will continue to defend households and families against increasing attacks from this administration, while also outlining the kinds of policy changes that will improve all Americans’ lives. We are thrilled to have Gerardo help us lead the way in that fight.”
“From growing up as the son of two hard-working immigrants, to pushing for progressive policies at the highest levels of government, I have lived an American dream that has become unattainable for far too many people in this country,” said Gerardo Bonilla Chavez, The Century Foundation’s new Director of Government Affairs. “Over the course of my career, I have seen what is possible when our government and elected leaders work for people and help create avenues to make a better life for them and their family, and I’m excited to bring those experiences to the Century Foundation to push forward that work.”
Most recently, Gerardo was named a 2024 University of Chicago Institute of Politics Pritzker Fellow, where he focused on the rise of the progressive movement in power and how Congress functions. He holds a Masters in Public Policy degree with a concentration in advanced policy analysis from the University of Minnesota, and is a recipient of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Public Policy Fellowship.
About The Century Foundation
Founded in 1919 by progressive business leader Edward Filene, The Century Foundation is an independent, nonpartisan think tank that pursues economic, racial, gender, and disability equity in education, health care, and work, and promotes U.S. foreign policy that fosters international cooperation, peace, and security. In the last decade, Century has more than tripled its staff and annual budget and significantly increased its influence on Capitol Hill and in state and local legislatures, in addition to launching a novel spinoff think tank in 2019, Next100.
In recent years, The Century Foundation has been at the forefront of protecting the Affordable Care Act, led the fight to secure $800+ billion in expanded aid to unemployed workers during the pandemic, and was the first to sound the alarm about the nation’s fiscal “child care cliff.”
In 2025, The Century Foundation welcomed a new President, Julie Margetta Morgan, a new chief of policy programs, Angela Hanks, and hired eleven full-time senior fellows from the Biden administration, including Julie Su, former acting U.S. secretary of labor; Lauren McFerran, former chair of the National Labor Relations Board; Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, former administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS); and Carole Johnson, former administrator of Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), among others.
TCF Welcomes Gerardo Bonilla Chavez as New Director of Government Affairs
The Century Foundation (TCF), a leading progressive think tank, today announced the hiring of seasoned coalition builder and political strategist Gerardo Bonilla Chavez as the organization’s new Director of Government Affairs. Gerardo has dedicated his career to advancing progressive priorities at the highest levels of government, from serving in the Obama administration to advising Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. He will leverage his skills, deep expertise, and extensive public service experience to advance TCF’s policy priorities in the areas of the economy and labor, health care, and education.
Prior to TCF, Gerardo served as Chief of Staff to U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, where he led dynamic teams and strategic initiatives at the intersection of economic justice and democratic governance. He has held senior roles in Congress and federal agencies, helping to shape major legislative efforts to rein in corporate power, expand worker protections, build economic security for working families, and strengthen democratic institutions. Grounded in a values-driven approach to public service, Gerardo forges cross-movement alliances, crafts policy rooted in lived experience, and delivers tangible results for communities too often left behind.
“With the current administration hellbent on turning back the clock on decades of progress, we need leaders like Gerardo to help us communicate the power of progressive policies to leaders at every level of government,” said Century Foundation President Julie Margetta Morgan. “The Century Foundation will continue to defend households and families against increasing attacks from this administration, while also outlining the kinds of policy changes that will improve all Americans’ lives. We are thrilled to have Gerardo help us lead the way in that fight.”
“From growing up as the son of two hard-working immigrants, to pushing for progressive policies at the highest levels of government, I have lived an American dream that has become unattainable for far too many people in this country,” said Gerardo Bonilla Chavez, The Century Foundation’s new Director of Government Affairs. “Over the course of my career, I have seen what is possible when our government and elected leaders work for people and help create avenues to make a better life for them and their family, and I’m excited to bring those experiences to the Century Foundation to push forward that work.”
Most recently, Gerardo was named a 2024 University of Chicago Institute of Politics Pritzker Fellow, where he focused on the rise of the progressive movement in power and how Congress functions. He holds a Masters in Public Policy degree with a concentration in advanced policy analysis from the University of Minnesota, and is a recipient of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Public Policy Fellowship.
About The Century Foundation
Founded in 1919 by progressive business leader Edward Filene, The Century Foundation is an independent, nonpartisan think tank that pursues economic, racial, gender, and disability equity in education, health care, and work, and promotes U.S. foreign policy that fosters international cooperation, peace, and security. In the last decade, Century has more than tripled its staff and annual budget and significantly increased its influence on Capitol Hill and in state and local legislatures, in addition to launching a novel spinoff think tank in 2019, Next100.
In recent years, The Century Foundation has been at the forefront of protecting the Affordable Care Act, led the fight to secure $800+ billion in expanded aid to unemployed workers during the pandemic, and was the first to sound the alarm about the nation’s fiscal “child care cliff.”
In 2025, The Century Foundation welcomed a new President, Julie Margetta Morgan, a new chief of policy programs, Angela Hanks, and hired eleven full-time senior fellows from the Biden administration, including Julie Su, former acting U.S. secretary of labor; Lauren McFerran, former chair of the National Labor Relations Board; Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, former administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS); and Carole Johnson, former administrator of Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), among others.